Lolo Jones, Lauryn Williams Make U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team

The track stars will be "pushers" in separate two-women sleds.

Hurdler Lolo Jones and sprinter Lauryn Williams have extended their Olympic careers onto the frozen surfaces of the Winter Games. After a series of outstanding World Cup finishes over the past two months, both women were selected as “pushers” to pair up with drivers in two-women bobsleds for the United States at the upcoming Olympic in Sochi, Russia.

Jones is in her second season as a bobsledder. In a chance meeting at an airport, it was she who coaxed Williams into taking up the sport. Williams’ first career bobsled race was on December 7.

Jones is the two-time world indoor 60-meter hurdles champion who was leading the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympics when she smashed into the penultimate barrier and ended up seventh. Williams was a world champion in the outdoor 100 meters, a silver medalist in the 100 at the 2004 Olympics, and a 4 x 100-meter relay gold medalist in London in 2012 after competing in a preliminary round.

The American bobsled selection was, despite race results, still largely subjective, made by a six-person committee close to midnight on Sunday in Austria following a World Cup competition. “After my name was called, it was a deep sigh of relief,” Jones told NBC Sports. “The biggest honor I’ll ever have in my life is representing Team USA. I’m overwhelmed with emotions.”

“I don't think it has quite set in yet that I am now a four-time Olympian,” said Williams, who qualified in track and field three times. “In the [Olympic] Village, I will be taken by the excitement and it will all feel real.”

Though less well-known, the third American pusher selected, Aja Evans, also has a track and field background. She was a shot putter and sprinter at the University of Illinois. The three drivers are Jamie Greubel, Elana Meyers, and Jazmine Fenlator.

Jones emphasizes that her participation in bobsled is “not a gimmick. It’s not for publicity. It never was. It’s always been about me achieving a dream and being able to tell that story down the road, that I never gave up and I fought hard.”

“I joined bobsled just to be a helper and add positive energy to the team," Williams said. "If my name wasn’t called [Sunday], I wasn’t going to be upset. I’ve enjoyed this journey.”

Williams told Runner’s World Newswire that while awaiting the announcement of the bobsled team selection, “we were all in a room and it was almost dead silent. My mind went immediately to those who didn't make it and I think that was the feeling of most of the group. The bonds created in this sport are special and to lose teammates is tough on us.”

Before Jones and Williams, the last American to compete in the Summer and Winter Games was Chris Witty, a cyclist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics who was in four Winter Games as a speed skater, most recently in 2006.

Jones and Williams were among six pushers contending for spots on the American team. Both had performed well this winter, and had finished in the medals in World Cup races. Williams surely sealed her spot on the U.S. squad when she and Greubel took first place in Sunday’s World Cup event in Ygls, Austria. It was the first Cup victory for either woman. Meyers and Evans were second and Fenlator and Jones finished seventh.

“I had no idea what was in store for me this season,” Williams admitted. “This is the first time I’ve been a part of a true team sport, and there’s someone else counting on you. You can’t let that person down, and that’s what drives me.”

The role of a pusher like Williams or Jones is to run while pushing the 400-pound sled for about 30 meters before jumping into it behind the driver. After that, notes Williams, “you fold over in half, bending over in that sled. You’re trying to get as low as possible so the wind can slide over the driver’s helmet and over your back but you’re not creating any drag there.”

The precise pairings for Sochi have not been determined yet. “I am guessing they will try a few more combos in practice to see who fits best with whom,” Williams believes. Women’s bobsled is a strong event for the United States. Greubel and Meyers are currently the second and third-rated drivers in World Cup standings behind Kallie Humphries of Canada, and Fenlator ranks seventh.

“The prospect of more than one medal [for the United States] is very strong,” Williams told Newswire. “The most important part will be energy and chemistry, just like in a [track] relay. We definitely have the talent now. The stars have to align and everyone has to be on on game day.”